The Twisted Stem

 

On a recent August Saturday there was one place on the planet to be and it was The Twisted Stem in Crystal Lake, Illinois where floral artist John Regan was at work in his beautiful new shop.  He started the shop with his sister Dorothy.  Lucky me! I am friends with them!  My Mom and I paid our first visit to the store; and even luckier, Carolyn was in town from Bremerton, WA.  

You see, my Mom, Dorothy and Carolyn have been friends for years.  They all used to teach together in the mid 1970's.  Lucky for me, as I got older, I had the pleasure of being included in their escapades and now I think I am a full fledged member of the trio.   

 So as you see above, John was hard at work getting flowers ready for a wedding.  The rest of us were goofing around and looking at every nook and cranny of the shop. 

 I love zinnias!!!!

 My Mom found this must have tea cup which she will use as a planter on her front porch with mums.

 Here we are in front of the store.  Left to right:  my Mom, Nancy, Carolyn, me and Dorothy.  I can't tell you how great it is to spend time with these women.  We laugh, remember and always have a ton of fun.  I look like a weirdo in this picture because I could not open my eyes all the way.  Too sunny!

 

Here are the gals having a confab over some of the beautiful items in the store.

 

John is a very creative florist.  He really thinks outside of the box and the results are magical. 

 Flowers are everywhere!

 I loved this arrangement at the front desk.

 

Loved these canvas posters!!!

 These hand woven baskets are gorgeous, sturdy and hand made in Africa. 

Isn't this table arrangement inviting!!! I love the little blue "egg cup" that you can float one flower in.  Brilliant.

We had a fabulous day together....of course we did lunch too. There are some very precious people in the world....and these three are in my top echelon.